birthdays – FAQ Japan

Self-Introductions in Japanese or ( or Jikoshoukai), when speaking Japanese is a good place to start when just beginning your study. Usually, using this simple structure will help you to memorise not only basic phrases, but questions relating to those topics too. Especially relating to hometowns, age, interests, hobbies, work and so on. For example, a simple introduction might look like something similar to this:n– Hello, my name is Matt. How do you do?n– I work as a Doctor.nnnn30- I am 30 years old.n312- My birthday is on the 12th of Marchn– My hobbies are hiking and tennis.nFurthermore, I would also encourage you to start work on the 2 fundamental writing systems too. Both Hiragana and Katakana, which we have specific charts and guides on too, as these will help you immensely with reading and writing.nJapanese as a language has many levels of formality, and while it is very common to speak to friends in casual or informal language, it is not so common when speaking to people you do not know. In this guide, we will primarily focus on a typical polite form for ease of learning and because it can be used in most situations.nInitial Greetings and Introductionsn– Hello, my name is Matt. How do you do? (! ! or Konnichi wa! Watashi wa matto desu. Hajimemashite)nThis is a simple introduction line, including greeting, introducing your name and a simple opening line.nTypically, Japanese has a few simple greetings for the morning, during the day and in the evening as follows:n (Ohayou gozaimasu) Good Morningn (Ohayou) Morning (less formal)n (Konnichi wa) Hellon (Konban wa) Good Eveningn (Moshi moshi) Hello (greeting used for when speaking on the phone)nWhen introducing yourself the general structure is set out as follows:nI (main topic) + Matt (Name) +am or is (verb).nFirstly, ( or Watashi wa) meaning I and is the main topic marker, the main topic in this sentence is the person who is introducing him or herself. The use of (Desu) is similar to the meaning of is or be and is usually used at the end of a sentence. Finally, you would say your name in the middle of the sentence. We will explore how to turn your name into Katakana characters and sounds in a future module.nOther greetings and questions you may use after introducing yourself include:n How do you do (used for the first time you meet someone) (Hajimemashite)n Please to meet you or Nice to meet you (used for your initial introduction) ( or Yoroshiku onegai shimasu)n What is your name ? ( or Onamae wa nan desu ka)n or Name ( or or Onamae or Namae)n what ( or or Nan or Nani)nWork and ProfessionsnTalking about work or professions follows a similar structure to the introduction of your name. The general word for work is ( or shigoto), and you can use this in a variety of scenarios, questions or statements. In this situation, we will keep it simple to demonstrate how you can explain your job or profession. Basically, ( or Watashi no shigoto wa) means my job or my work. In this situation the use of as a possessive particle indicates ownership, so in this scenario meaning my work.n I work as a Doctor. ( or Watashi no shigoto wa isha desu)nThe general structure is set out as follows:nMy work (main topic) + Doctor (Profession) + is (verb).nOther work-related phrases and vocabulary that may come in handy are:n What is your job ? ( or Oshigoto wa nan desu ka)n Doctor ( or Isha)n Dentist ( or Haisha)n Lawyer ( or Bengoshi)n Nurse ( or Kangoshi)n Teacher/Professor ( or Sensei)n Accountant ( or Kaikeishi)n Student ( or Gakusei)nAge and BirthdaysnTalking about age can sometimes be considered a sensitive subject, and in many cultures is completely disregarded altogether. In other cases, people may just not be comfortable sharing this kind of information. However, if youre not concerned about this kind of thing, you can use the guide below to tell people your age.nThe general structure for explaining your age is as such:nAge (number) + is (verb).nFor example:n30- I am 30 years old. ( or Sanjuu sai desu)nYou will notice in this scenario, we have not included the ( or Watashi wa) meaning I and . This is primarily because the subject is clear, as you are introducing yourself, there is no need to keep repeating I constantly in Japanese and so this can be omitted. This is also demonstrated below for your birthday.nThe general structure for explaining your birthday is below:nBirthday (topic marker) + date (number) + is (verb).nAs an example:n312 My birthday is on the 12th of March. ( or Tanjyoubi wa sangatsu no juuni nichi desu)nAgain, we have not included the ( or Watashi no) meaning I and the as a possessive particle as the subject is clear, and there is no need to be repetitive. It is clear that you are speaking about your own birthday.nBasic vocabulary and phrases for years, numbers and birthday is as follows:n Date of birth or DOB ( or Seinengappi)n When is your date of birth ?n Birthday ( or Tanjyoubi)n When is your birthday ?n Counter for age in years ( or ~sai)nWe have also provided a chart of numbers, including general Japanese numbers, days of the month, months and ages, you can also download a copyhere.nnHobbies and InterestsnTalking about hobbies and interests is also normal when introducing yourself, especially in Japanese. The word for hobby is ( or shumi) and is commonly used in initial introductions or conversation. You may also talk about your interests or ( or kyoumi ga aru koto), which as you can see is expressed a little differently.nThe general structure for explaining your hobbies is as follows:nHobby (topic marker) + hobby list + is (verb).nSimilarly, we have omitted the use of and as explained in previous examples, as per the following example:nMy hobbies are hiking and tennis. ( or Shumi ha haikingu to tenisu desu)nSome other vocabulary that may come in handy for hobbies and interests includes:n– Jogging ( or Jogingu)n running ( or Ranningu)n exercise ( or Undou)n golf ( or Gorufu)n Sports ( or Suppotsu)n Studying Japanese ( or Nihongo no benkyou)n cooking ( or Ryouri)n Outdoor activities ( or Auttodoa)n Swimming ( or Suiei)n or Shopping ( or Kaimono) or ( or Shoppingu)n or Art ( or Geijutsu) or ( or Aato)nFeel free to try to write your own Japanese self-introductions in the comments section. Also, feel free to comment on this article if this was helpful or share it with your friends. Good luck with your studies!